cials, movies, and other media. While it enjoyed this
spotlight, break dancing influenced music composi-
tion, music technology, fashion, and other dance
forms, as well as helping to definine hip-hop culture
generally. Despite the media explosion, though,
many believed that break dancing belonged in the
streets, and after the craze faded, the form returned
to the street corners where it had been born.
Further Reading
Breakdancing: Mr. Fresh with the Supreme Rockers.New
York: Avon Books, 1984. Technically a how-to
book, but the opening chapters cover the history
of break dancing. Includes a complete glossary of
terms and step descriptions.
Perkins, William E., ed.Droppin’ Science: Critical Es-
says on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture. Philadel-
phia: Temple University Press, 1996. Particularly
the chapters “Women Writin’ Rappin’ Breakin’,”
“Hip Hop,” and “Dance in Hip Hop Culture” pro-
vide the most enlightening information on the
impact of break dancing upon hip-hop culture.
Toop, David.Rap Attack 2: African Rap to Global Hip-
Hop. London: Pluto Press, 1991. Helpful for un-
derstanding the hip-hop culture that gave birth to
Break dancing
Break dancing
Sylvia P. BaezaSee also Dance, popular; Jazz; MTV; Music; Olym-
pic Games of 1984; Performance art.
Breakfast Club, The
Identification Teen movie
Writer/Director John Hughes (1950- )
Date Released February 15, 1985
The Breakfast Clubachieved a cult following among
teenagers, helping define teen culture of the 1980’s and ce-
menting John Hughes’s reputation as a master of teen films.
In 1985, John Hughes releasedThe Breakfast Club, his
second directorial effort after 1984’sSixteen Candles.
The 1985 film takes place at a high school in Shermer,
Illinois, on a Saturday when five teenagers are serv-
ing a day of detention, each for his or her own trans-
gressions. Aside from being forced to spend the day
together in the same room, the characters in the film
appear at first to have nothing in common. However,
as the teens interact, they get to know one another,
and they realize that they share much more than a
simple Saturday detention.
Fellow Brat Packers Emilio Estevez, Molly Ring-
wald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, and Ally
Sheedy made the roles of the five teens their own.
Each character in the film represents a stereotypical
teen personality: the jock, the prom queen, the juve-
nile delinquent, the geek, and the weirdo. Critics
of the film have often dismissed these characters as
one-dimensional, but others have argued that the
film’s humorous and emotionally effective dialogue
reveals hidden facets of each character, while engag-
ing issues all teenagers face, such as insecurity and
the pressure to live up to society’s standards.
The Breakfast Clubwas a reasonable hit, striking a
chord with teenagers all over the United States and
taking in more than $45 million. The sound track to
the film was also extremely popular, especially the sin-
gle “Don’t You Forget About Me” by the New Wave
band Simple Minds. Hughes’s decision to accompany
an extended sequence in the film with nearly the en-
tire song helped popularize the strategy of using teen
films to pushing hit singles, which became an impor-
tant marketing device for the industry. Moreover, be-144 Breakfast Club, The The Eighties in America
Molly Ringwald played the prom queen inThe Breakfast Club.
(AP/Wide World Photos)